German rock band The Scorpions said it plans to break up, ending an “extraordinary career on a high note” after more than four decades in the music business with hits that included the 1990 song “Wind of Change.”

The band, founded by lead guitarist Rudolf Schenker in Hanover, northern Germany, in 1965, will release one more album, “Sting in the Tail,” before retiring, according to a statement on its web site today. The album is slated for release on March 19 and the group is planning a farewell tour of Germany and the rest of the world “over the next few years.”

“We are extremely grateful for the fact that we still have the same passion for music we’ve always had since the beginning,” the band said. “This is why, especially now, we agree we have reached the end of the road.”

The Scorpions released more than 20 albums, including 1990’s “Crazy World,” which included the hit single “Wind of Change” about the end of the Cold War era and German reunification.